Pedal attachment.



PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

A. J! HAMM PEDAL ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1902.

10 MODEL.

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. attorney UNITED STATES Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

PEDAL ATTACHM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,358, dated June 16, 1903.

Application filed April 1, 1902. Serial No. 100,933. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANNIE J. HAMME, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilmington, in the county of New Hanover and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pedal Attachments and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object the provision of means whereby the opening provided in piano and organ casings to allow for the upward and downward play of the pedals may be closed at all times against the admission of mice or other vermin to the interior of the piano.

My object is, further, to accomplish such closure without in any way interfering with the operation'of the pedal or affecting the tone of the instrument and by means which will be efficient in operation and at the same time not unsightly or expensive, but readily applicable to any instrument. a

I attain these objects in the manner hereinafter fully described and set out and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whicl1- Figure 1 represents a portion of the lower casing of a piano, showing the adjustment of the pedals provided with the guard-plates.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of a pedal provided with the lower guard-plate. Fig. 3 isa detail view of the pedal provided with the upper and lower guard-plate. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of a pedal with both the guardplates attached. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view with the lower guard-plate attached. Fig. 6 represents the two guard-plates as struck from a blank of metal. Fig. 7 represents the two guard-plates with members bent as when D represents the body of the lower guardplate, having the top edge of a conformation to fit the under side of the pedal A and pro:

vided with the wings E, adapted to be bent over and into engagement with the upper surface of the pedal to secure the guard-plate thereto, and also provided with the extensions F, adapted to be bent at right angles to the body portion D and to form braces underlying and parallel to the pedal A to prevent pivotal movement with reference thereto. It will be readily seen that when attached to the pedal as described the guard-plate D will depend vertically from the pedal, secured thereto by the wings E and held rigidly by the lateral extensions F in a perpendicular position, so as to effecta closure of the opening below the pedal.

G represents the body of the upper guardplate, having a lower edge of a conformation adapted to lit the upper surface of the pedal and provided with the wings I-I, adapted to be bent over and into engagement with the lower side of the pedal, and the extension I to be bent at right angles to the body portion and lie snugly against and parallel to the surface of the pedal. The function of the wings H and the extension I is analogous to that of the Wings E and extensions F of the lower guard-plate.

J represents a modified form, in which eX- tensions are adapted to be bent laterally to form lugs, which may be secured together by means of the threaded screw K or other suitable fastening means, thus rigidly connecting the upper and lower guard-plates.

It is well known that mice and other vermin sometimes gain access to the interior of pianos and other musical instruments and work great injury to the same by reason of the fact that the pedal-openings are necessarily elongated to allow of the play of the pedal, and when not in use a portion of the opening is not closed by the pedal. To overcome this great trouble, I have devised the guard-plates above set out. The lower guard plate is adapted more particularly for general use in situations Where the pedal rests normally in its upper position, leaving the lower portion of the opening unobstructed, and in such cases it will not be necessary to use more than the lower guard-plate. However, pianos are often provided with pianissimo or practice pedals, which are adapted to be pressed downward and secured temporarily in that position, and frequently the person using the piano will neglect to release such pedal, but leave the same depressed and the opening above the pedal wholly unobstructed and free for the entry of mice to the interior. To provide for such cases, I have therefore devised the upper guard-plate to be used on said pedal, and when so used in connection with the lower guard-plate the combination of the two effectually closes the opening at all times under all conditions.

It will be readily seen that my construction is such that it may be attached readily to the pedal of any piano at any time, the securing means being so simple that any one without theassistance of a skilled mechanic or even without special tools will be enabled to apply said improvement to the pedals. The fact also that the guard-plates may be struck from a blank of sheet metal is conducive to the greatest economy in manufacture, as well as simplicity of construction.

It will be understood that modifications of contour and details of arrangement may be made herein Without in any way departing from the spirit of my invention as described and claimed, wherefore I do not desire to be limited to the specific construction shown.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination With a pedal-bar, of a guard-plate Wider at one end than the bar,

the guard-plate having said end engaging one face of the bar and having wings extending from said end along and beyond each side of the pedal-bar, said Wings having lateral extensions at the end portions, the latter end portions being bent with the said extensions engaging the face of the pedal-bar oppositesaid face, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a pedal-bar, of a guard-plate wider at one end than the bar, the guard-plate having one end engaging one face of the bar, the guard-plate having oppositely-extending lateral lugs engaging said face of the bar, the guard-plate having wings extending from said end along and beyond each side of the pedal-bar, said wings having lateral extensions at the end portions, the latter end portions being bent with said extensions engaging the face of the pedal-bar opposite said face, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a pedal-bar, of a guard-plate wider at one end than the bar, the guard-plate having said end engaging one face of the bar and having wings extending from saidend along and beyond each side of the pedal-bar, said wings having lateral extensions at the end portions, the latter end portions being bent with the said extensions engaging the face of the pedal-bar opposite said face, said bent portions projecting in opposite directions from the plane of the guardplate, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a pedal-bar, of a guard-plate wider at one end than the bar, the guard-plate having one end engaging one face of the bar, the guard-plate having oppositely-extending lateral lugs engaging said face of the bar, the guard-plate having wings extending from said end along and beyond each side of the pedal-bar, said wings having lateral extensions at the end portions, the latter end portions being bent with said extensions engaging the face of the pedal-bar opposite said face, said bent portions projecting in opposite directions from the plane of the guard-plate, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a pedal-bar, of a guard-plate wider at one end than the bar, the guard-plate having said end engaging one face of the bar and having Wings extending from said end along and beyond each side of the pedal-bar, said wings having lateral extensions at the end portions, the latter end portions being bent with the said extensions engaging the face of the pedal-bar opposite said face, a second gu'ardplate having its edge engaging the side of the pedal-bar opposite said guard-plate, wings on said guardplate extending along and beyond the sides of the pedal-bar and having lateral extensions at the end portions, the latter end portions being bent with the said extensions engaging the face of the pedal-bar in engagement with said first-mentioned guard-plate, the adjacent lateral extensions of the two guard-plates lying on opposite sides of the plane of the guard-plates, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a pedal-bar, of a guard-plate wider at one end than the bar, the guard-plate having said end engaging one face of the bar and having wings extending from said end along and beyond each side of the pedal-bar, said wings having lateral extensions at the end portions, the latter end portions being bent with the said extensions engaging the face of the pedal-bar opposite said face, a second guard-plate having its edge engaging the face of the pedal-bar opposite said guard-plate, Wings on said guardplate extending along and beyond the sides ofthe pedal-bar and having lateral extensions at the end portions, the latter end portions being bent with the said extensions engaging the face of the pedal'bar in engagement with said first-mentioned guard-plate, the adjacent lateral extensions of the two guard-plates lying on opposite sides of the plane of the guard-plates, each guard-plate having one or more lateral lugs at its said bar-engaging edge that engage the side of the bar, substantially as described.

7. A pedal-guard-plate blank consisting of a body portion having at one end a Wing extending from said end at each side thereof,

each of said wings havinga lateral extension 1 that project toward the other, substantially ID that projects toward the other, and one or as described.

more strips extending from the intermediate In testimony whereof I aflix my signature portion of said end, substantially as dein the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

scribed. T

8. A pedal-guardplate blank consisting of IE HAMME' a body portion having at one end a wing ex- Witnesses: tending from said end at each side thereof, L. T. GREIST,

each of said wings having a lateral extension N. E. COSTELLO. 

